The 15 Best PC Games

Amnesia is an indie game that may look like a first-person shooter, but you won't find any weapons to protect you in this horror title. The only defense you have against the dark creatures of Amnesia is the ability to run away and hide. As you plumb the depths of the game's dark corridors, slowly piecing together the story of how you got there in the first place, you'll come across evil creatures that you're completely powerless against. The light won't protect you, it just makes you easier to spot -- you're only recourse is to take refuge out of sight in dark corners. But your Sanity meter slowly dwindles away the longer you're out of the light, and when it dips too low, your character starts hallucinating. You'll move more slowly, imaginary bugs crawl across the screen; it gets freaky.

If you're looking for over-the-top gore, and a zombie-blasting good time, then Amnesia is not your game. But as a psychological thriller that's just as much about figuring out what's going on as it is about staying alive, Amnesia is the most effectively frightening game you'll ever play.

Over the years, the concept of medieval combat in video games has largely been relegated to clunky dungeon-crawlers and turn-based strategy titles. Very rarely do you feel like a true warrior of the dark ages, speeding towards a castle on your noble steed with fellow warriors by your side and a broadsword at the ready. Thankfully, Mount & Blade, a “medieval mounted combat” game from developer TaleWorlds Entertainment, is there to fill that gap with immersive quality gameplay.

This open-ended cavalry combat title sees you strapping into a saddle and regularly storming enemy strongholds, swinging your sharpened sword or firing deadly arrows from horseback. It’s an outstanding entry in an underfed genre, and its passionate community makes it an excellent place to meet like-minded warriors. Even if you’ve never been to a renaissance faire, Mount & Blade is worth a look.

The Witcher 2 is a third-person action-RPG that focuses on the story of Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher (monster hunter) who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to kill kings, a peasant rebellion, and a cabal bent on seizing power and ruling the region (along with rebuilding his shattered memory).

The game features a great deal of swordplay, but use caution: Your foes gang up on you, flanking you and using all of their abilities against you. Your magic comes in handy, though combat remains difficult. And CD Projekt Red, the game's developer, has a 2.0 version in the works with better tutorials and also offers free DLC and no DRM (if you buy the Steam version, you have Steam's DRM). And it's coming to the Xbox 360 soon!